Rachel Shearer is a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellow. She is a grades 11-12 English language, literature, and research teacher, and department chair at Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora, Colorado. Rachel enhances student inquiry and agency through cultural representative and relevant curriculum. She mentors new teachers as they obtain their initial and professional licenses and is her school’s National Honor Society chapter chair. Rachel launched the school’s speech and debate team that competes at regional, state, and national tournaments. She began her career in undergraduate English literature, teaching composition at Naropa University in Colorado, before transitioning to secondary education. She has a BA in English literature from Florida State University; MA in curriculum development and implementation from Colorado University, Denver; MFA in writing and poetics from Naropa University; and is pursuing a doctorate in justice, equity, and diverse identities from the University of Colorado, Denver.
